Woodlands Wisdom (WW) seeks to address chronic health issues in Native American Communities through culturally responsive programs of teaching, research and community connections. The goal of Woodlands Wisdom Nutrition Project is to improve the overall health of Native American people by enhancing regional community consciousness around how food and nutrition impacts community, family and individual health and well-being. Four (4) objectives have been identified in order to reach this goal. They are: 1) increase the number of Native American practitioners in Nutrition and food sciences; (2) improve research and education on the incidence of diet-related chronic diseases of native people and the relationship of traditional food use to health; (3) increase community engagement/involvement with issues of diet and health; and (4) create a mechanism throughout the region in order to share resources and information among tribal entities in meeting the above stated goals. The Woodlands Wisdom Confederation believes that developing an educational program to enhance understanding and appreciation of diabetes and related science in tribal elementary, middle and high schools is inherent in the Woodlands strategy for successful program development and is incorporated in our long range plans. Woodlands Wisdom is therefore seeking a grant of $100,000 for one-year period for the specific task of initiating assessment needed to develop a diabetes-based science education program for tribal K-12 schools